Pay-per-click verses SEO

There are really only 2 main ways to get visitors to your website from search engine users. The first would be to implement a Search engine optimisation (SEO) plan. Second would be to use pay-per click advertising. Here we will highlight the pros and cons of each.

What is SEO & PPC

SEO is the process of fine tuning a webpage so that it meets the specific standards of major search engines, so that the site in question can be determined as relevant by the algorithm used by any particular search engine, most commonly Google.

PPC is paying for a sponsored placement at the top of returned results for keywords or search terms that the advertiser or you decide would generate the most leads to your site. 

You can opt for either option or both dependant on your niche or product. Each have good points and bad points, which will be outlined below.

Set-up time and costs

A pay-per click campaign can be setup within a few hours, development and implementation of a site’s search engine management plan may take months in many cases. Therefore using PPC could prove to be beneficial for new websites, short term sales promotions or one time events, as there are less initial costs involved and results can be seen instantly.

Long term value

Every click that comes from Google cost you money, regardless of whether it generates a lead or not. if your clicks are costing you $1+ this could prove to be a costly venture. with more and more new advertisers joining Google adwords, this only means that the cost per click will increase as the popularity of your keywords grow. SEO, when implemented by ethical and professional people will remain forever and once positions are achieved regular maintenance will ensure your site remains on page 1. this way you wont need to pay for people just browsing your site. 

Risk

Click fraud is a type of internet crime that occurs when a person, automated script, or computer program imitates a legitimate user of a web browser clicking on an ad, solely for the purpose of generating a charge per click for the advertiser or generating revenue for the owner of the adsense units which your advertisement is appearing. Using this method, your competitors can rapidly increase your budget.

Summary

The Benefits of SEO

• Targeted Traffic
• Promotion that doesn’t sleep
• Increase brand visibility
• High ROI
• Higher Sales
• Faster, smaller pages
• Long term positioning
• Cost-effective
• Accessibility
• Cross-browser compatibility
• Navigable by the engines
• Usability

The Downside to PPC

• Click Fraud
• Continuous Expenses
• Rising Expenses
• Complicated to Implement
• Changing Positions within results
• Too many Keywords
• Low ROI
• Constant Maintenance

Another Reason why SEO is more cost effective than PPC is the labour costs involved in the setup of the majority of campaigns are equal if not greater than those of a well executed search engine management campaign.